Austin officially surpassed 1 million residents for the first time in its history last year, making it the 12th-largest U.S. city.

The overview: The city's estimated 2025 population was 1,002,632 people, based on new census data. The addition of more than 4,000 residents from 2024 moved Austin past the 1 million mark.
Austin's expansion came during what the U.S. Census Bureau called a "widespread national slowdown" in population growth, and reported drop-offs in annual growth among large cities. Despite declining international migration, demographer Lila Valencia said Austin, Travis County and the wider metro area continue to maintain "steady growth" thanks to in-state and domestic migration.

Zooming out: While Austin remains one of the largest cities nationwide, it's still ranked fifth in Texas and isn't growing as rapidly as some smaller cities in the state.

Two candidates are facing off in the Democratic primary runoff election for Hays County judge.

On the ballot: Incumbent Ruben Becerra and Commissioner Michelle Gutierrez Cohen are competing for a spot on the November ballot on May 26. The candidates previously ran alongside Democratic candidate Joel W. Martin in the March Primary elections. Because no candidate received over 50% of the votes, the two candidates with the most votes moved on to the runoff election, which will be held May 26.

The winner of the Democratic primary runoff will face the Republican candidate, Geoffrey Tahuahua, in the November general election, and the winner will serve as Hays County judge, according to the Texas Secretary of State website.

What you need to know

• Friday, May 15: application for ballot by mail deadline (received by the elections office, not postmarked)

• Monday, May 18: first day of early voting in person

• Friday, May 22: last day of early voting in person

• Tuesday, May 26: election day

After dozens of Texas primary races ended without a clear winner in March, candidates for those seats will face off in an overtime round, known as a runoff election, this month. Texans can vote early in the runoff election from May 18-22, with election day May 26.

How it works: State law requires that primary candidates receive more than 50% of the votes cast to advance to a general election.

In the May 26 runoff election, Republican and Democratic voters will choose who they want to represent them in statewide offices, legislative and Congressional seats, the State Board of Education and county-level positions. The winner of each runoff race will appear on the ballot in November.

On the ballot: The statewide Republican runoff races include:

• U.S. Senate: John Cornyn and Ken Paxton
• Texas attorney general: Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy
• Texas railroad commissioner: Jim Wright and Bo French

• Texas attorney general: Nathan Johnson and Joe Jaworski
• Texas lieutenant governor: Vikki Goodwin and Marcos Vélez

A 2023 Texas law allowing state and local police to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally is scheduled to take effect May 15.

The overview: Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 4, a state immigration enforcement law, in late 2023. The law was originally set to take effect in March 2024, but has been tied up in court for more than two years.

For the first time, the law would allow Texas police to arrest migrants they suspect crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization and allow judges to order migrants’ removal if they are found guilty of illegal entry.

The background: SB 4 had been largely blocked by a series of court rulings since early 2024. A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit against SB 4 April 24, and a separate lawsuit was filed May 4.

On May 13, U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra—who previously deemed SB 4 unconstitutional—heard arguments in the secondary lawsuit, although he did not issue a ruling before press time May 13.